Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for sausages, Parmesan, tomato paste and spices with no colour or preservatives added. I used a white wine from Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Frogpond Farm organic winery that contains only naturally occurring sulfites.

Saute fennel, onion and sausage

Toss cooked pasta with sauce and press into baking dish, topping with Parmesan

I refrigerated the dish for several hours and then baked it until it was heated through and brown on top

Ingredients:

3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil

3 cups (750 ml) chopped fennel (1 large bulb)

1½ cups (375 ml) chopped yellow onion

1¼ lb (565 g) sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

2 tsp (10 ml) minced garlic

½ tsp (2.5 ml) whole fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle

½ tsp (2.5 ml) crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine

1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)

2/3 cup (150 ml) half-and-half

2 tbsp (30 ml) tomato paste

1 lb (454 g) dry rigatoni

½ cup (125 ml) chopped parsley leaves

1 cup (250 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 tsp (10 ml) salt and 1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tbsp (30 ml) salt and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and ½ cup (125 ml) of the Parmesan. Press into a large shallow baking dish, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve. To make ahead, refrigerate for up to a day and then bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 C).

From Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Be sure to use fresh orange juice, a stock with no additives (I use Imagine Organic brand) and olives with no chemicals added (I use President’s Choice garlic-stuffed olives).

Cut tenderloin into slices and pound flat

Sear the pork about 80 seconds on each side

Saute the fennel

The sauce cooks quickly

Sauteed Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Fennel and Green Olives in Orange Pan Sauce

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon (5 ml) table salt

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground black pepper

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound/500 g), silver skin removed, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) slices, each pounded to ¾ inch (1.9 cm) with flat side of chef’s knife blade

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

½ medium bulb fennel, sliced thin (about 1 cup/250 ml)

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon/15 ml))

1/3 cup (75 ml) orange juice

1 teaspoon (5 ml) orange zest from 1 large orange

2/3 cup (150 ml) chicken stock or low-salt canned broth

¼ cup (50 ml) pitted green olives, sliced

2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of pork slices. Heat oil until shimmering in heavy-bottomed pan, at least 10 inches (25 cm) across bottom, over medium-high heat, swirling pan to distribute oil. Working in batches of no more than six slices to avoid overcrowding, sear medallions without moving them until brown on one side, about 80 seconds (oil should sizzle, but not smoke). Turn medallions with tongs to avoid scraping off the sear; sear until meat is mostly opaque at sides, firm to the touch, and well browned, about 80 seconds. Transfer pork to plate.

Heat oil in pan in which pork was cooked over medium heat, swirling to distribute. Add fennel; sauté until softened and starting to color, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute more. Add juice; boil, scraping pan bottom with wooden spatula to loosen browned bits, until liquid reduces to a glaze, about 2 ½ minutes. Increase heat to high and add stock or broth and any accumulated pork juices; boil until liquid reaches consistency of maple syrup, about 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium; return pork to pan with zest, olives, and parsley, turning meat to coat. Simmer to heat pork thoroughly and blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Transfer pork to serving plate and spoon sauce over meat. Serve immediately. Serves 3-4.

From Cook’s Illustrated

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check your spices for colour or anti-caking agents. I used a red wine from with a sulfite level of lower than 10 parts per million, Imagine organic chicken stock, butter containing only cream and a balsamic vinegar with only naturally occurring sulfites.

Rub spices into pork tenderloin

Place seared pork on sauteed red cabbage and apple

Reduce sauce while pork rests

Pork tenderloin with red cabbage

4 cups (1 L) red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 tsp (5 ml) ground fennel seeds

1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander

Pinch cinnamon

1 lb. (500 g) pork tenderloin

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 apple, peeled and diced

½ cup (125 ml) red wine, divided in half

3 tbsp (45 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp (15 ml) brown sugar

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 cup plus ¼ cup (310 ml) chicken stock

1 tbsp (15 ml) butter

2 tsp (10 ml) fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add cabbage and bring back to a boil. Boil 1 minute, drain and refresh the cabbage with cold water. Drain well and set aside.

Combine fennel, coriander and cinnamon. Sprinkle over pork tenderloin, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet large enough to hold pork, or cut the meat into large sections to fit into the pan. Add pork and sear on all sides until browned, about 2 minutes a side. Remove pork and add apple and cabbage.

Sauté until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) of wine, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Add pepper flakes and ¼ cup (60 ml) of stock and return pork to the pan, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet and cook tenderloin for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a touch of pink is left in the centre.

Remove pork and cabbage from the pan. Let pork rest 5 minutes.

To make the sauce, add remaining vinegar, wine and stock to the pan. Reduce on high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in butter to finish.

Slice pork and serve with the red cabbage and apple mixture. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

From Lucy Waverman

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

All of the ingredients in this recipe are fresh, so no need to worry about additives.

Place salmon in dish with citrus, fennel and dill

Slow roasting makes the salmon very moist

Slow-roasted salmon with fennel, citrus and chiles

Ingredients:

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, with seeds, thinly sliced

4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1 2-lb. (907 g) skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut

¾ cup (375 ml) olive oil

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275° F (135° C). Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3-qt. (2.8 L) baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over.

Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30–40 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs. Serves 6.

From the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit